PHILADELPHIA – Joakim Noah still winces at the mere thought of it.
Sitting in the same locker room where the new and according to the experts much improved Chicago Bulls had just finished holding off the still winless but feisty Philadelphia 76ers 118-115, the painful memories of May, 2012, came flooding back.
Those Bulls were top seed in the East then, with Doug Collins’ No. 8 seeded Sixers expected to be a speed bump on their way to a Conference Finals matchup vs. LeBron, D-Wade and the mighty Heat. Instead, it turned into a four-car pileup, after Derrick Rose blew out his knee in the closing stages of a Game 1 blowout, then two games later Noah went down for the count with a severely sprained ankle. That left them as helpless onlookers while the Sixers became only the fifth No. 8 seed in NBA history to pull off the upset, taking the Game 6 clincher here, 79-78.
“I’ll never forget that,’” said Noah, who scored five points and grabbed nine rebounds in this one as the Bulls moved to 5-1 despite surrendering 39 fourth-quarter points. “I thought it was our year.”
“I remember going back to that hotel room. I thought I’d broken my foot. It was throbbing. It hurt knowing I wouldn’t be there to help the team. I learned from that never to take anything for granted.”
So did Taj Gibson, the lone active survivor (well, rookie Jimmy Butler did play all of 27 seconds) from that night when Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday & Co. broke their hearts. “The year we lost to Philly showed anything can happen,’” said Gibson, who’s remained Tom Thibodeau’s reliable sixth man now that Pau Gasol has left Hollywood for the Windy City to take over Carlos Boozer’s old spot. “We had a shot to win that year. So you have to really appreciate every year, because nothing’s guaranteed.’’
In other words, feel free to tell them they’ll be the roadblock standing in the way of LeBron James fulfilling his championship homecoming quest in Cleveland.
Nice as it sounds, those are just words.
And words are meaningless if they’re not translated into actions.
For any of this to matter, they’ve got to put in the work. Tighten up a defense that allowed a poor shooting team like Philadelphia to knock down a dozen 3-pointers. Do a better job handling the ball and crashing the boards. Not allow a team down 115-106 with 36 seconds left to actually have a last-second shot that could’ve sent it into overtime, just like a week earlier when they blew a game they had all but put away and lost to the Cavs.
With time Thibodeau hopes those faults will become strengths. “I just want us to move forward,’” said Thibodeau, who hopes he doesn’t spend the season—like he is now– not knowing from night to night whether Rose will be able to go. “Build the right habits and hopefully play our best at the end.
“But it’s a long process and you can’t skip steps. If you don’t put the work in, the results won’t be there.’”
Already though, it’s apparent these aren’t the same Bulls whose calling card the past few years has been deliberate offense mixed with suffocating defense. With the return of Rose, the addition of Gasol and the emergence of Butler and rookie sharpshooter Doug McDermott, suddenly Thibs has all kinds of weapons at his disposal.
“We’re still exploring,’’ said Gibson, who had moved into the starting lineup when Noah missed two games with an illness. “But we don’t have a hard time scoring the ball.
“We used to be happy if we got 89 points or had mid 90’s. But we still have a ways to go.”
Indeed, the NBA race is never to the swift. That’s why they’re so amused so many believe—or at least hope—the Cavs’ current struggles are a portent of more to come.
“Look at their schedule,’’ said Gibson. “When you’ve got a bulls-eye on your back every game’s a battle.”
“But the East is shaping up. We hope we’re part of it.’’
It will take awhile before they know for sure. “Every time you play a high quality team it’s a test, said Gasol, who admits he still feels Kobe’s and the 0-5 Lakers’ pain. “If you come out on top it’s a good sign.
“If you struggle, let’s see what you can do to prepare for the next test. You don’t know what you’re made of until you face adversity. There’s always a tough challenge ahead.
“It’s a matter of how you handle it ‘’
The way this club has continued to maintain its intensity while playing fundamentally sound hoops appeals to free agents looking for a place with a legit shot to win. “No matter what pieces they had they always would find way to win,’’ said guard Aaron Brooks, now playing for his fifth team in six years. “The intensity they played with, they always had a positive energy about them.
“We can be really good. We still have a lot of stuff to work on, but as far as unselfishness and the way these guys know basketball it’s exciting.’’
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Over the course of a season the hope is that energy, that mindset leads to something special. “You build it,’’ said veteran guard Kurt Hinrich, chief beneficiary in minutes when Rose is out. “We’re off to a good start, but we all know there’s a lot of room for improvement.
“We have a lot of good new pieces. It’s all about coming together. You learn from wins as well as losses. Look at the film and see what you did well and what you didn’t do well.
“As the season moves on you have a better idea of who you are as a group.’’
Six games in, it’s already apparent these Bulls have more firepower as well as depth, which is almost a prerequisite when you never know who’s in or out of the lineup. But Thibodeau has never been one to feel sorry for himself. He simply plugs in the next guy and expects him to do the job..
The end result is the Bulls have confidence they can play with anybody—with or without Rose. “Offense isn’t the problem,’’ said Thibodeau, whose club shot 51% in this one, topped by Mike Dunleavy with 27 and Butler with 23. “We’re getting good shots and hitting the three well.
“We’ve got good balance. I’m pleased we found a way to win. At the end of the day that’s the name of the game.’’
Even more so, though, at the end of the season. Most expect the Bulls to be battling it out with the Cavs at that point, relying on their familiarity and basketball smarts to make up for any lack of talent.
But that’s close to seven months away, plenty of time for things to finally break their way. Or once again break their hearts.
Jon Marks has covered the Philadelphia 76ers from the days of Dr. J and his teammate, Joe Bryant (best known as Kobe’s dad). He has won awards from the Pro Basketball Writers Association and North Jersey Press Club. His other claim to fame is driving Rick Mahorn to a playoff game after missing the team bus. Follow him on Twitter.